Casting is important when it comes to any movie, but when comic book characters are involved, it's more crucial than ever to pick the right person. That's because fans already know the character and have certain expectations about how they are portrayed. If a studio picks the wrong actor, it could mean that the entire movie will be a flop.
So when it came time to choose an actress to play the role of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, the producers cast a wide net. They had dozens of actresses in mind to step in as the Joker's girlfriend and seemed determined to make the right choice. If only they'd put as much effort into casting the Joker as they did for Harley Quinn.
Today we're taking a look at a few of the actresses who almost played the role of Harley, and who just might have landed the role if it hadn't been for Margot Robbie.
15 Fans Wanted Cara Delevingne As Harley Quinn, But She Was Cast As Enchantress Instead
When DC fans heard that Cara Delevingne had accepted a role in Suicide Squad, many speculated as to which character she would play. Some were hopeful that the model/actress would play Harley Quinn but of course, this wasn't to be. Cara was cast in the role of The Enchantress instead.
14 Lily Collins Was Considered For The Role, But The Busy Actress Was Unavailable
When Suicide Squad was still in the early stages of development Lily Collins was one of the names on the list for actresses who could play Harley Quinn. But, when the time came for casting, Lily didn't even have an audition. This might have been because she was really busy at that stage, and was simply unavailable for the role.
13 Zooey Deschanel Didn't Seem Like The Right Fit For Harley
Zooey Deschanel's quirky sense of humor might be perfect for shows like New Girl and movies like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but could she have played Harley? Her name did come up for consideration in the early stages, but the filmmakers decided that she wasn't quite the right fit.
12 Melissa Rauch Was Keen On Playing Harley In Suicide Squad
Although Melissa Rauch is best known for playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory she's also done other projects - including voicing Harley Quinn in 2017 animated movie Batman and Harley Quinn. She also tried out for the role in Suicide Squad, but she wasn't quite what the producers were looking for.
11 Emma Roberts Turned Down The Role To Focus On Scream Queens
Emma Roberts seems the ideal match for Harley Quinn, so it should come as no surprise to learn that she was actually offered the role in Suicide Squad. She considered the offer but ultimately turned it down to star in Scream Queens instead. Could she have pulled it off? We'll never know.
10 Rooney Mara Was On The Short List, But Never Made It To The Screen Test Phase
After seeing what Rooney Mara did with her roles in movies like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- we have no doubt that she could have pulled off the part of Joker's girlfriend with ease. Mara was one of the actresses who made it onto the short list for the role, but never got to the screen testing phase.
9 Evan Rachel Wood Was Considered For Harley Quinn
Evan Rachel Wood is an actress who has proved her versatility over and over again, but could she pull off the role of the emotionally-unstable Harley Quinn? When the casting process for Suicide Squad first began, hers was one of the names on the long list, but nothing more ever came from it.
8 Margot Robbie Was Chosen Over Olivia Wilde For The Wolf Of Wall Street And Suicide Squad
Olivia Wilde and Margot Robbie have tried out for many of the same roles. They both auditioned to appear alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street where Wilde was eventually turned down because she was deemed too old. Robbie also beat Wilde to the part of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.
7 Alison Brie's Name Was On The Harley Quinn Short List
According to IMDb, when executives were asked to draw up a short list of actresses they would like to see as Harley Quinn for Suicide Squad, Alison Brie's name was near the top of the list. And while she would have been a great match for the movie, they ultimately decided to go with Margot Robbie instead.
6 Amanda Seyfried Auditioned For Role, But Lost Out To Margot Robbie
While playing Harley Quinn would have been a massive departure from the types of characters she usually plays, Amanda Seyfried was one of the few actresses who made it all the way to the audition phase for the role. However, in the end, it was decided that she just wasn't the right fit for Suicide Squad.
5 Katee Sackhoff Thought She Would Make A Perfect Harley And Even Campaigned For The Part
Katee Sackhoff was so confident about her ability to play Harley that she started campaigning for the role back in 2013. “I love Harley Quinn. I do. I just love it…It’s not been done before. It’s this fantastic mix. I mean, it’s like the female Joker. Who wouldn’t want to do that?" she said. DC didn't seem to take notice...
4 Anne Hathaway Thought She Might Play Harley Quinn In The Dark Knight Rises
When Anne Hathaway met with The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan, she thought he was going to ask her to play Harley Quinn. “About an hour into the meeting he said, ‘It’s Catwoman’ and I went, ‘Oh, no, I played this wrong,'” she explained. “I didn’t think they would revisit that character, because Michelle’s performance had been so iconic."
3 Horror Queen Sara Paxton Auditioned For Suicide Squad, But Was Turned Down
Sara Paxton is best known for her role as the lead character in 2009 horror flick The Last House on the Left as well as movies like Aquamarine and The Front Runner. She bears a striking resemblance to Harley Quinn and she was one of the actresses who made it to the audition phase.
2 Mary Elizabeth Winstead Tried Out For Harley, But Ended Up Making 10 Cloverfield Lane Instead
After seeing the way she carried herself in films like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World there's no doubt that Mary Elizabeth Winstead could have played a great Harley Quinn. The actress was one of the many who tried out for the role, but she ended up taking the lead role in 10 Cloverfield Lane instead.
1 Olivia Thirlby Managed To Make The Long List For Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn
Olivia Thirlby is best known for playing Leah in Juno, Natalie in The Darkest Hour, and Judge Cassandra Anderson in 2012 film Dredd. She also made it onto the long list for the part of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, but never got any further. Perhaps there will still be a DC role for her in the future.
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